The deep....

The patio lights twinkled a welcome, the sun was slanting across the western sky, and the BBQ was warmed up and ready to go....

  Children- ten including a few neighborhood drop-ins, ran in and out the back yard gate, shouting greetings and sorting out rules to a game...

Everything had been prepared in advance, all easy items requiring little or no fussing, and I was able to relax and enjoy the weekend unfolding...

One friend made herself at home in my kitchen, sorting through drawers to find what she wanted, as Daddies popped open root beers and handed them around to thirsty kiddos...

Everyone brought their own meat-items for grilling, and JJ had created a fantastic make-shift table for the many side dishes earlier in the day....

As we laughed, relaxed, and visited, I found myself being aware of a deep contentment in my soul...

Only a few weeks ago, I was in the throes of "what now?" as we waited to see if Adrain was going to get a different job transfer within his company once again... and my world was unexpectedly up in the air.  As that situation melted away and my heart stopped racing in nervous anticipation, I felt slightly discontented (and at the same time relieved) that we were staying put... again.  I'm sure living in a waiting mode for as long as it seems we've lived there, breeds a certain level of discontentment... never knowing if you're up or down, coming or going, you easily find yourself always looking for the next landing spot...

...but as we eased into a long weekend, one where we threw open our doors and our gates, and friends lingered over funny stories... and kids played tag in the dark way after bedtime, it came to me that once more, some big prayers have been answered. 

You see, after we settled down and realized "here" is the "now," I fought that discontentment and I asked God to not only show me where I could be content... but show me that He actually had a plan for me. 

As the sun filtered through the windows early Saturday morning, and the day was full of promise, I realized I had my answers, stretching out before me...

I sat watching Adrain work on a project for me, and we talked about how everything we'd wanted our house and life to become as we sat by sunset, nineteen years ago discussing the countless possibilities, had unfolded up to a point.  It startled me. 

I shamelessly admit that I always wanted some kind of magical storybook family life.  You know, a big, welcoming house filled with laughter, friends, perfect family and celebrations, kids and dogs running in and out, and open arms for new friends, reconnecting with old ones and somehow in the swirl of all that, my personal dream was that I would find hostessing to be an easy and light task.  I'd say that in a way, it felt pretty close to that dream this weekend.  With the sun shining, I realized anew just how blessed we were to have a spacious backyard that beckons, BBQ space, and a welcoming house filled with friends. 

   I looked into the excited eyes of my babies after I told them "Yes, they could sleep on the trampoline all night" and realized this was the dream all along.  Here is the contentment, in this small, sweet moment.

The deep kind of contentment that doesn't come from just expressing words, or merely discussing your many blessings with another...

  But the kind that sneaks up on you when you realize it was there all along and you were too distracted by the chaos or imperfections of life to see and appreciate it.

     You see, this past week, Adrain and I realized afresh what our mission was.  And we were given a great and rare chance to begin something new together- something rewarding.  Sure elements of our life aren't perfect.  Our house isn't the "perfect" layout.  Our yard isn't the "perfect" plan.  Our kids don't always behave perfectly.  Life is far from magical... but it's good.  It's really, really, good and it's incredibly workable if we have the right attitude.

The little miracles are suddenly popping up everywhere, and Adrain and I were recently given an opportunity to see an alternative plan for our life.  It nearly shook me up when I realized how good I've actually had it all along. 

I spent the last two days seeking that deep contentment out, like a long, lost friend. 

 The sweet moment when you're driving to your brother's house and your baby girl, not so little anymore, is fast asleep from the wild trampoline sleep over, the night before.  Noted, breathed in, and appreciated.

 Or the sigh of contentment that comes from the promise of the future.  Holding my sweet baby niece just about does me in, in that department.  Oh she's precious and I can't wait to get to know her better!  Noted, breathed in, and appreciated.

 I think it's so easy to miss the deep contentment in life because it's mixed amongst a jumble of chaos and often so hard to find.  When I feel in chaos, I can't seem to count any blessings in my heart- I miss them all, and I certainly don't appreciate any of them!  And for me, I really do feel like this contentment was here all along, I was just so busy thinking things were going to change that I never let my heart settle down and recognize the countless blessings that brew the tea of contentment.

 I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for this life tonight as I tuck in my babies, and sit down in a tranquil moment to spill my heart after a joy-filled weekend. 

I can't think of a better way to ring in Memorial day than with the direction of these thoughts.  I hope and pray you find a way to count your blessings alongside me and let the wave of deep contentment in an imperfect world, house, or life wash over you. 

Real Dinners....(And a winner)

I have to admit, I'm having a lot of fun photographing our "real life dinners" for you guys these days. 

I've been wanting to introduce jicama to my hoodlums and thought this would be a terrific and easy Sunday night dinner.  This recipe got a double thumbs up from everyone but Ava.  (She isn't overly fond of shrimp and she didn't love the jicama.  You can't please them all though and I'll be making it again soon!)

Shrimp Mango & Jicama Salad with Mango dressing

Into a bowl toss the following: 

2 mangoes, peeled.  (cut one half of a mango into chunks and reserve.) Slice the other 1 1/2 mangoes into matchsticks. 

1 jicama tuber peeled and sliced into matchsticks. 

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped 

In a mini food processor or blender combine the following:

the reserved 1/2 mango, chopped. 

1 sweet onion chopped

Juice of one lime

salt and pepper

1 TBSP honey

2 TBSP olive oil

1 lb shrimp, grilled or cooked according to your preference. 

Arrange mango-jicama salad onto plates, drizzle with mango dressing and top all with grilled shrimp.

I'm going to level with you.  Gluten free toaster waffles are the equivalent to the rest of the world's fast food.  Cause when you're gluten free, you don't have many fast options to grab out there.  On this particular day, I had been running around like crazy, fitting in doctor's appointments for kids, (that's a post for another day) and by the time we got to Target to wait for their antibiotics, I looked at my watch and realized the dinner hour had long since passed.  With eager little faces watching me expectantly for a food miracle, I turned our cart in the direction of the freezer aisle and snatched two boxes of GF waffles...only to discover that I had about 2 TBSP of pure maple syrup left in the bottle, once home.  Them's the breaks. I did, however, have fresh blackberries so I made up for it.

I don't know why, but my hoodlums think eating with chopsticks is about the most fun you can have, so occasionally I whip up rice bowls.  Here, I used frozen, grilled chicken pieces, tossed them into a frying pan to heat, added 2 TBSP green curry paste, 2 tsp brown sugar, salt, pepper, and a can of coconut milk.  Let it simmer and thicken slightly (about 5-10 minutes on medium heat) and then ladled it over rice and tucked some sauteed green beans in beside it.  We probably make this three or four times a month because 1) it's easy and 2) it's easy.  Did I mention that it was easy?  If you want to kick the authentic flavor up a bit, chop Thai basil and top it with that- it's my absolute favorite!

I know, I know, this one is kind of a repeat from my last post but I did promise you I wouldn't do anything special or extraordinary for these posts.  We do breakfast a lot.  The thing I did a change-up on, was the potato dish.  I chopped up tiny white potatoes and cooked them in olive oil until they were getting crispy and browned, and then I tossed in some thinly sliced onion and applewood sausage slices.  My kids couldn't get enough.  (Eggs, pico de gallo, sliced avocado and orange juice completed the meal.)

 This is a meal we usually reserve for Friday nights for some reason. We all make individual pizzas (on Kinickkinick Gluten free crusts- in the natural foods freezer section of my grocery store).  We all top our pizza to our own liking and guess what I put on my pizza?  A drizzle of olive oil (no sauce for me) paper thin potato slices, fresh mozzarella, sprinkling of bacon, a light drizzle of BBQ sauce and a tiny topping of blue cheese crumbles.  Mmmmmm.  (If you haven't tried potato slices on your pizza you are so missing out!)

For our big salads, I take store-bought (Kraft) ranch dressing, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a handful of fresh cilantro and blitz until blended.  It makes the yummiest fresh-tasting dressing and people always ask for the recipe. ha!  

So that's what we ate this week!  I'll be linking up here:

The winner of my giveaway, chosen by random.org, was Stacy P.  Congratulations and you can email me at lemonademakinmama@comcast.net to claim your prize!

Giveaway time!!!

**Giveaway is now closed**

Hey you guys!! (I feel really excited about this giveaway... which I'll get to in a second so hang tight.)  We're getting all ready for Memorial day around here, and have a weekend full of fun plans- we're hosting a BBQ with my book club and their families,  along with some quality time with my new baby niece on Sunday. 

 Oh... I'm giddy.  Also, my man has a guy coming to do an estimate on installing subway tile in the kitchen back splash area this afternoon and the time is just dragging by for me...  I really wanted to do it last summer when we were re-doing our kitchen, but alas... I ran out of steam and then we put our house on the market for a few unforgettable months.

 Anyway, I love subway tile.  LOVE.  I'm also loving these DIY French linens that I made and posted on here.  I have to say, it was so quick and easy that I cut out napkin sized linen and did the same thing on them.  I kept it a no-sew project which makes it feel so casual.  I love casual.  And frayed edges.  And BBQ chicken.  And homemade ice cream, but that's kind of beside the point.  If you haven't tried these yet, you should... they are so fun!  I might even use them this weekend a time or two.  (They're kind of festive looking, don't you think?)

And I must share two fun new items in my shop because they are that cute!  This vintage framed- turned chalkboard might be calling someone's name....  

And these jadeite/milk glass inspired beaded necklaces are my new favorite thing. (You can get yours here.)

Okay I think I've kept you in suspense long enough right?   Here's the Memorial day giveaway!  It includes the following: blue and white gingham waxed paper, red,white, and blue marshmallow stars, stripey cupcake liners, stripey paper straws, pinwheel picks, sandwich picks and plaid paper napkins.  

In order to enter this giveaway, all you need to do is tell me about your Memorial day plans this weekend!  (Or your non-Memorial day plans if you're outside the States.  :)

(And the blah, blah, blah part of the giveaway) Do your tweet, face book or pin for an extra entry, as long as you come back and tell me you did in a separate comment.  I'll announce a winner in a few days with random.org, so good luck sweet things! 

Watermelon Salad.... etc.

Oh what a good weekend we had!  And if you knew the kind of week we'd faced last week, you would be jumping up and down with me because of that too!  Man, we needed a good weekend! (I'll touch on that more in my May 365 post- Oh and side note here... I'm going to try to put a linky party up at the end of the month, so if you want to participate by posting some photos of your month, you can join the party! And don't worry, there are no rules so you don't have to do a photo a day- just a recap or whatever you want.  Be thinking about that one.)

Today I'm sharing a fun favorite recipe.  This has become a Sasha Summer Staple.  (Say that fast five times.)  People always kind of crinkle their noses when they hear about it... and then they taste it.  Their eyes bug out...they lick their lips... groan in happiness...and ask for seconds, and thirds until it's gone.  Ha! 

 It's called Watermelon Salad.  I first tasted it at my favorite Inn, at a summer BBQ date night.  Life wasn't complete until I nailed down the recipe.  Also, for this particular batch, my man brought home some citrus sea salt that one of his co-workers made.  It's heavenly and I added it to this.  But don't worry, you can use regular salt in this. 

 Watermelon Salad: 

(one half watermelon) chopped into small pieces, 

1 sweet onion, sliced into thin rings or slices. 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup light olive oil

salt and pepper 

2 TBSP fresh mint, chopped finely

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled.  

Toss all together in a bowl.  (It's best if you chill overnight, but you can eat it right away too.)  If you chill it overnight, you may need to pour off some of the juice, or just use a slotted spoon when serving. Enjoy!!

 This is my boy.  My trouble.  My heart.  My challenge.  My love.  My hoodlum.  My green-eyed angel-monster. (If you've successfully raised a boy and want to mentor me... lol.)

 ....and my girl who thinks wearing a fur vest over athletic wear is perfectly fine.  My word.  (I made her go change.) And side note again... I seriously hate how I look in my helmet.  The straps make my cheeks look chubby.  Don't laugh.  It does and if I could go without one I would!! 

 I love and need these days.  Lazy, hazy, easy days, trailing behind my family.  The other day I had the absolute weight of the world on my shoulders with kid stuff and life, and my man, who was sitting beside me said, "Okay let me take care of this now... "  I know it was such a small thing, but knowing he's got my back... what a blessing.

 The rain began sprinkling lightly as we biked and I laughed inwardly because in the Pacific NW, you don't let a little rain stop you.  If you did, you'd always be inside!

 We're kind of go-ers.  We don't like to sit.  We like to play!  I can just see Adrain and I on our own once (if) we get these hoodlums raised (Please God, help us with that!) hitting trails together. 

I live in such a lovely place... but I long for a land with more sunshine... so those of you who have it, please enjoy every hot, humid, sunny day for me!

How was everyone's weekend?  Do y'all have Memorial Day plans?  I've got a cute giveaway coming up this week so make sure and stay tuned!!  You're going to love it. :)  

DIY Vintage French Linens look-alike

 Okay blog, I know that I've neglected you a little this week.  But I swear I had good reasons!  I have been doing lots of physical therapy, and I had one of those days where I was at the school four times in the same day for things like recorder concerts.  I don't know about you, but there's just nothing like a good recorder concert in my book.  Bwahahahaaha! 

 Anyway, I was running some errands the other day and I came across something called patterning tape by Martha Stewart Crafts.  It rocked my world a little bit as I stood there debating whether or not I should fork over the $6.99 for it.  (I'm happy that I did.) Basically, it's very narrow painter's tape.  The possibilities are endless but I knew what I wanted it for immediately. 

 You see, I had decided to do a little decorating for Memorial day (which I never do, and then I forget about putting any patriotic items out for Independence day until about July 1st and can't understand why the flag-displaying season is so short.)  So as I was filling a bucket with sand and putting my little flags into it, I started thinking about how fun it would be to have some vintage French linens- like a table runner.  (And you know they cost an arm and a leg.) I thought about the fact that I could just try to make one... and that was probably a good idea anyway because my table is super long. 

The specifics: I purchased some linen material, cut it to size, and laid a piece of brown paper underneath it.  Then I carefully measured and pressed down my tape, creating lines in which to paint.  Once I had pressed down the tape with a brayer, I began applying Folk Art acrylic paint in the color "skyline" in between the tape with a basic paint brush.  I wasn't sure at this point if it was going to work, and the blue was a little bright.  I laid the whole thing outside in the sunshine to warm and dry.  I knew it would dry stiff, but I figured a washing would remove some of the paint for an aged appearance, and fade it slightly.  I tossed it into my washing machine and washed it on cold, and then dried it.  I had planned on sewing the edges but I liked the fraying, raw edges so I left it as is. 

  It turned out exactly as I hoped it would.  (Oh look... a little cutie eating dessert in her jammies!)

  It was super easy and quick, and runners are so much more functional than tablecloths.  Plus I hate to cover up the barn wood top of my table, and the runner adds just a little softness to it.  Love!!

 And speaking of love... I gathered some fresh herbs that were flowering and made little bouquets in pitchers.  I don't know why I never did this before. Not only are they cute, but they smell amazing!

I took these photos because they were so pretty. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!